Customs officials at the Port of Mombasa have intercepted two containers with consignments of milk powder which originated from United Arab Emirates and declared as gypsum board.
KRA enforcement officers based at the port on October 17, 2016, profiled and targeted a consignment of two containers numbers SEGU4628096 & TCLU 1505551 which arrived at the port of Mombasa aboard MV Marie Delmas on October 1, 2016.
According to manifest declaration presented to KRA by the shipping agent/shipping line, the supplier is RIA IMPO Exporters of United Arab Emirates while the consignee is said to be TIRUMALA Enterprises Ltd based in Kampala, Uganda. The containers were on transit to Uganda.
The containers were scanned October 19, 2016 and the scanned images confirmed that they were loaded with milk powder and not gypsum boards as declared in the Cargo Manifest. Milk powder is considered a sensitive commodity under the EAC Common External Tariff (CET) and attracts an import duty at a rate of 60 per cent.
Had the perpetrators of this syndicate managed to sneak the cargo out of the port into the local market without being detected, the Government would have lost about Ksh14 million in taxes.
KRA has directed that the two containers be subjected to 100 per cent physical verification in the presence of the other government agencies to ascertain reconfirm the contents. The Authority is working in collaboration with Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) officials, to ensure the perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted.